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Maltatal - Austria |
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Action undertaken on: 03.01. - 09.01.2010. Lodgings: Ferienwohnung Glanznig, Krainberg Participants: Čikić Miloš, Branković Dušan, Nina Adjanin and Igor Skender Action type: Frozen waterfall climbing
Climbs undertaken:
Description: The first half of December was promising lots of ice and good winter conditions for New Year. However, towards the end of the month south winds played on our nerves and threatened to postpone the beginning of our season of winter climbing. At the beginning of January new cold wave brought new hope that there will be some ice. After detailed analysis, we had estimated that the nearest ice is around 700km away from Belgrade – the valley of river Malta in Upper Kärnten in Austria. We found lodgings in the village of Krainberg, a couple of kilometers from the center of Malta and we are on our way. 03.01. We start around 11am from Belgrade and reach the destination around 7pm. We managed to find the narrow road to our apartment on the first attempt, even in the dark and without GPS ;) 04.01. It is cloudless and cold. We go to the valley and drive towards the waterfalls. We only had a guide printed off the net, so we spent a while looking for the waterfalls. In the end we disembark at Gmünder Hütte and climb one waterfall each: Djuk and Čiks climb Vorderer Maralmfall 100m WI4; Igor and Nina climb an unnamed waterfall, rated around WI2 and around 120m high. Great for the first day, although the frost made the ice friable. We already figured that the waterfalls in the lower part of the valley are not formed, so we should entertain ourselves somewhere between Gmünder Hütte and the large tunnel. 05.01. Armed with a brand new guidebook, we leave early for the waterfalls. It is cloudy and the temperature is higher. South winds that blew over the Balkans made it as far as this, but lost some of their bite. Djuk and Čiks decided on the middle cascade of the Maralmfälle group, while Igor and Nina went for the frontal one. Due to “intense traffic” under the candle, Djuk and Čiks climb the left side of the waterfall, WI3 200m, while Igor and Nina climb their waterfall, WI4, 100m. Picks went in much better than the day before, so climbing was much more pleasant for us as well as for the climbers below us ;). 06.01. As usual, tiredness caught up with us on the third day so we decided on easier climbs. Igor and Nina chose a long, but relatively easy Strannerbach, WI3 400m, while Djuk and Čiks investigate Columbus before concluding it is not formed. Igor and Nina use their waterfall to try some alpine techniques of moving in longer routes with variable difficulty and with a series of abseils on the way down – with the emphasis on speed and safety. 07.01. For Christmas we decided to treat ourselves with the most difficult climbing in these five days. For days Djuk and Čiks were eyeing up Hinterer Maralmfall WI5 210m, but it was not formed. However, now it was nicely joined, just enough to allow passage – albeit with a refreshing shower ;). Igor and Nina chose Mittlerer Maralmfall, finishing it via the candle, WI5 200m. Both teams had excellent climbing over hard ice, as well as an opportunity to complete their climbing day in the valley as all of them found their way down to the car in the dark, around 6pm. 08.01. South winds reach even Maltatal. Temperature is around 0°C, large wet places of snow are coming down. We scout shorter waterfalls at the valley entrance. Čiks expertly climbs waterfall Zipfl, 25m WI4+ over, sometimes thin ice, wearing Igor’s boots, while Igor hangs around a dry tooling setup. That day we leave climbing a bit earlier and treat ourselves to pancakes in the apartment, celebrating an ending of a successful five day action. 09.01. In the morning we leave for Belgrade. In Slovenia there’s a metre of new snow – Ljubljana is snowed in. As we approach home snow turns into mud and Belgrade welcomes us with a temperature of 12°C. Resume: For New Year celebrations it was hardly possible to find a better opportunity to climb. The weather and ice conditions served us well enough to allow us to climb on all five days and so open the winter climbing season. Report and gallery prepared by: Igor Skender
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